Sunday Pot Roast

I have to give the credit for this recipe to The Pioneer Woman.  I got the recipe from her.  I have cooked Pot Roasts for years and they all seem to be ok.  Well, they never was anything left, but I was always hoping to find a better recipe.  I have found it!! Her recipe called for cooking it in the oven, which is fine, but I put mine in the crockpot and cooked it all day.  It fell apart -- there were NO left overs!!!

**This recipe is for the crockpot.  Will give oven options at the end.**

1 whole (4 to 5 pounds) chuck roast
2 Tbsp olive oil
Butter
2 whole onions
6 whole carrots
salt & pepper to taste
2 cups (up to 3 cups) beef stock
3 sprigs of thyme
3 sprigs of rosemary

In an iron skillet, place olive oil and butter.  While heating up skillet, chop onions into quarters and chop carrots into quarters or thirds.  Place onions into skillets and let brown, don't over cook, you just want to brown them.  Then do the same with the carrots.  While these are browning, put salt & pepper on both sides of roast.  Then you will brown both sides of the roast. 

While you are doing all the browning, get your crockpot ready.  Turn on and put in almost all the beef stock, put some aside to use at another time. 

After roast is browned on both sides, put into crockpot.  Then put in onions & carrots on top of roast.  Take the small amount of stock, that you put aside, put into skillet.  Use this to de-glaze any brown pieces that were left on the bottom on pan.  Then pour into crockpot.  Now put in the sprigs of thyme & rosemary.

Put the setting on low, put lid on and leave alone.  Don't fuss over ... just let it hang out and do it's business.  Let cook for 6 to 8 hours on low.  You really want to let it cook at a slower time.  I think this really makes the difference. 

To serve:  Cut up roast beef, spoon over onions & carrots and some of the wonderful juice that is left. 

** To make in the oven **

Use a dutch oven pan.  In the dutch oven pan you want to brown the onions, carrots & then the roast.  Use a small amount of stock to de-glaze the pan.  Then add the rest of the beef stock, roast, onions, carrots and then springs of thyme & rosemary.  Place lid on pan and put into oven.  Cook  at 275F oven for 4 to 5 hours (4 to 5 pound roast).  Again, don't fuss over or bother .. let it hang out and do it's thing. 

I promise this will be the BEST pot roast you have ever eaten.  You won't even have to cut it up .. it will fall apart.  Hope you enjoy!!!

I love watching Food Network ... there are so many shows on there that I really like watching and have even fixed some of the dishes that they have had and have really picked up on some great tips.  I was watching last weekend, on Saturday, and come across a new show.  I think it has been on for a couple of weeks, but it was the first time that I saw it.  I LOVE IT!!!  It is one of the best shows on Food Network ...  "The Pioneer Woman".  Have you seen it????  If not -- you have got to watch it!!

I found out too that she has a website and it a blogger.   Go over to her blog and check her out there too --www.thepioneerwoman.com ... there is so much information and the most beautiful pictures.  She is a photographer and takes pictures on her ranch. 

I have already cooked a couple of her recipes and my family really loved them.  My son, that is the pickiest eater even liked them, especially the one I cooked last night.  I am going to be sharing them with you in the next couple of days/weeks.  I have changed them a little bit to suit my family, but they are really close to hers. 

Finding Balance ...

I am having a hard time finding balance in my life right now.   I have listed before all the jobs that I do but here it is again just in case you missed it the first time ... of course mom & wife, cook, maid, household manager ... and anything else that goes along with running a house and family.  There there are my part time jobs - school bus driver,  bookkeeper, treasurer, Pampered Chef consultant, concession stand manager and then my job coupons.  As you can tell, I am a little crazy and run thin.  I am sure that I need to give up something and that is what I am have been praying and thinking about.   I want to try to make extra money to get us out of debt .. that is the reason I give for all these part-time jobs. 

With doing all these other things .. I don't have time to do things that I really enjoy to do, such as:  read books and I really love to read, cross-stitching - another favorite hobby of mine, esp. snowmen, and sitting and reading other blogs and learning all kinds of new information. 

One thing that has come to mind is making a monthly calender with the main jobs on there ... grocery shopping at Publix is on Mondays - Bank, post office on Tuesdays, etc.  I just got to find time to put it all on  paper .... When I get it worked out I will share with you.  Maybe it will help someone else find balance in their lives ...

Now off to get some cleaning done ... I am back to doing my cleaning list for each day.  Not sure why I got away from that .. but I have got to get back to doing my daily cleaning list.  And I am off ....

Bumps in the road ...

First let me appologized for not posting in a couple of months.  I have been letting life live me ... The past couple of months have been crazy to say the lest, but I never took control and got a handle on things.  I just let life take hold of me.  Not anymore!!! 

I have been thinking the past couple of days on life's bumps in the road.  Everything seems to be going along fine ..... then darn if things don't seem to go right.  All the plans that you made are not coming to light.  In fact, some of them are totally unraveling.  

This always, always happens when I have money in savings and planning on doing this with it or that with it.  Usually about this time of year, I plan on putting money away for Christmas.  I dont' want Christmas to be stressful and I don't have any credit cards anymore.  One thing you have to understand about me is ... I love to buy presents for Christmas.   However, something always happens and my money that I had plans for .. is gone.  You know those things ... car breaks down, an appliance tears up or etc.  Mine was my oldest son.  I am not blaming him, in the least.  It wasn't his fault, but my money isn't there anymore. 

Through all of this though I have learned a few things (it about time) ... that the Lord doesn't want us to make plans without Him.  To be honest, I haven't been asking him what direction I should be going in .. should I do this or do that.  No wonder things don't work out for me ... duh!!  The Lord wants us to bring everything to Him; nothing is too big or too small. 

Another thing is relying on Him and NOT what is in my bank account.  OHHH .. this one I am still working on ... Here again, I have to be totally honest ... this is one is really hard for me.  I can feel my anxiety level creeping up each time I look at the very very small balance that is in the savings account.  I am not putting my total TRUST in God.  I am putting it in my bank account.  Oh Lord, please be patient with me on this one and please give me your forgiveness in not fully trusting you.

Life gives us bumps in the road.  Some are small one and some are big ones.  I just try to get over them the best I can and see what lesson I am suppose to learn from them. Most of the time the Lord is trying to get my attention on something that I need to work on.  I think too that bumps in the road could be made easier if we have a good attitude about them and rely on God to help get us over them. 

I promise I will be posting more ... I have gotten to really enjoy posting, more than I thought that I would.  I just have to take one step at a time.  Not try to do too much too fast.  It takes time ......

Thanks for reading my blog and I hope that you will continue to do so.  May God Bless each and everyone of you.  May God give you Grace to learn from your bumps in life.